PRESBY COLLEGE OF EDUCATION HOLDS 2ND CONGREGATION (PAGE 20)

LACK of a modern Information and Communications Technology (ICT) laboratory at the Presbyterian College of Education at Akropong-Akuapem is adversely undermining efforts to enhance the teaching and learning of ICT in the college.
The Principal of the institution, Mr Emmanuel K. Osei, who made this known, has therefore, appealed to the government to assist the institution to construct a modern ICT laboratory.
That, he believed, would enable the students to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills in ICT to make a positive impact in their profession in the future.
Mr Osei was speaking at the second congregation of the college during which 313 students who completed in 2008 graduated.
Three of the graduands had second class upper division, 45 obtained second class lower division, 166 had third class, 99 had pass while 52 are still awaiting their results.
According to the principal, the place of ICT in the development of any nation could not be overemphasised, a situation that had made the study of ICT compulsory even from the primary level of education.
He stated that unfortunately lack of a modern ICT laboratory in the institution over the years had undermined the ability of its students to acquire the knowledge and skills in ICT.
“While every teacher is supposed to equip himself with knowledge and skills in ICT, we seriously lack adequate resources to teach ICT in our college,” he stressed.
“Even though we have set up a small laboratory from our own resources, we will be grateful if the government could assist our college to put up a modern laboratory fully equipped with modern computers and hooked to the Internet,” the principal said.
Highlighting other problems facing the college, Mr Osei stated that although his outfit had a capacity to enrol at least 500 students every year, the institution was only able to admit 321 students last year.
“This low intake is affecting the smooth running of the college as we have empty classrooms, empty dormitory rooms, chairs left unoccupied, among others,” he stated, adding that “this is against the background of the fact that we have shortage of teachers in several schools in the country”.
Mr Osei also mentioned lack of accommodation as one of the problems facing the staff of the institution, noting that bungalows meant for individual families were now shared by two or three families, leading to congestion in most homes.
He, therefore, appealed to the government to assist the college to construct flats for both teaching and non-teaching staff.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, who expressed concern over the inability of pupils from public schools to compete with their counterparts from the private ones, appealed to the graduands to eschew laziness, absenteeism, lateness to school and other social vices such as drunkenness to enable them to impact positively on their pupils.
“Let the community and the school see you as the newly trained teachers with new ideas and zeal who have come to make a difference in the school by leading exemplary lives and being role models to your pupils and the community,” he emphasised.
He expressed the government’s readiness to upgrade all colleges of education to full tertiary status and which would be adequately equipped to enable them to produce more professional teachers who could efficiently handle schools.
The Krontihene of Akuapem Traditional Area, Osahene Ofei Kwasi Agyeman IV, expressed the preparedness of traditional authorities in the area to support the institution to pursue the purpose for which it was established.